


Broken Bars

by TheWalkingDeathEater



Series: The Ferals Collection [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (Comics), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Comic/TV Mix, Daryl Dixon Needs a Hug, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Non-Canon Relationship, Non-Canonical Character Death, Slow Burn, Team as Family, The Author Regrets Nothing, Walkers (Walking Dead), You Have Been Warned, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:22:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26830609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWalkingDeathEater/pseuds/TheWalkingDeathEater
Summary: It took seven months of hell to get Liz and the group back on their feet. After the gruelling winter, it seems the survivors have finally found a safe haven, somewhere to call home. As the walkers pile up and the survivors dwindle, humanity proves its biggest threat is itself.Liz and Josie Warren have a family. Its one they'll kill for. Its one they're willing to die for. And as time goes on, Liz is certain that likelihood is becoming more possible every day.UPDATES NOT REGULAR
Relationships: Andrea/Philip Blake | The Governor, Andrea/Shane Walsh, Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s), Lori Grimes/Rick Grimes
Series: The Ferals Collection [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806904
Kudos: 8





	Broken Bars

The car screeched to a deafening halt. I sprung from the passenger seat, opening the back door for Josie and Sophia.

In the seven months we had been forced to endure on the road, the girls and Carl had adapted quicker than I'd thought. Sophia clutched a handgun in her hand; her knife was strapped firmly to her leg.

Rick threw a map onto the bonnet of the car. Hershel, Daryl and I gathered around it. Everyone else took watch, on the lookout for walkers that could come bursting out of the trees at any second. Seven months of hell had taught us to never turn our backs.

"We're not lookin' good so far," Hershel mentioned, pointing at several places on the map. "we keep going the way we are, those herds are gonna meet up and cut us off."

"I've been saying for months now, we should be taking our chances east." I piped up. Since announcing his complete control over the group, Rick had made every decision. I had lost count the amount of times I had suggested an idea, only to be shot down. It was beginning to piss me off.

I exchanged a look with Daryl. His eyes dropped to the map almost immediately.

It had been an unusual seven months with him. I'd kissed him, then he had kissed me. And now, I wasn't sure what was happening. We had left the farm, and suddenly there were more important things to worry about. We had tried- god, I couldn't deny it. A spine-tingling brush of hands, his fingers tracing my wrist. We had almost kissed just a month back, when we were hunting for a wild pig. But again, the age problem. It was ingrained in Daryl's mind, and mine. There was such a distant age difference. It freaked us out, him more so than me. Every time I thought I had a chance to speak with him, he would pull away, and I had lost another day of progress.

One day, he wouldn't be able to run from me.

"Going east is not an option," Rick snapped. "we've come too far to start circling back on ourselves."

I didn't bother trying to argue. I'd done enough of that in the months we had travelled together. When Rick's mind was made up, he could not be swayed.

He turned away, walking with Daryl towards the forest. They planned on hunting soon; we had run low on food a few weeks back. Just hours ago, I had watched in disgust as Carl got ready to tuck into a can of wet dog food. I had just about sighed in relief as Rick had thrown it away before the boy could try a bite. There were some lows that even I wouldn't stoop to.

I sat with Maggie and her father, smiling as the farm girl leant her head against my shoulder. Even now, the memory of Beth screaming for my help plagued my mind. Hershel and his only living daughter had been kind to me. If it had been me, I would have been furious. Could I have done something to save Beth? Anything?

"You okay, Liz?" Hershel asked. His eyebrows furrowed. The months had not been kind to him. He now sported a full beard, and a mane of long white hair.

I smiled back at the man. "Just great."

"Look, I know you and Rick have had your issues the past few months," he replied. Hershel reached over and grasped my hand firmly. "but it's gonna turn out all right, you'll see."

"Lets hope so." I answered him. I was sick and tired of bouncing from place to place in search of shelter from the cold, biting winter breeze. And I knew I wasn't the only one.

I watched as Lori waddled her way over to us. Her belly was now enormous. There was no mistaking that she was pregnant. I worried for the poor woman. She was too close to the baby arriving to be out here now.

"Hey," she greeted us, plopping herself down on the floor next to me. Her long brown hair had been braided to the side. "what're we talking about?"

"We were saying that we need somewhere to stay," I replied quickly, before Hershel could try and change the subject. People had been avoiding harsh topics when around Lori, scared to stress her. I felt different. I could see the frustration flickering in her eyes whenever someone changed the topic. Lori wanted to be a productive member of the group.

"I trust Rick, he knows what he's doing." She assured me. I pushed down the uneasy feeling in my stomach. It wasn't that I trusted Rick, but I was beginning to see the change in him. Killing Shane had stolen the last of his naivety, the innocence that had belonged to the man in the coma. The Rick I met at that gas station was gone. This Rick was colder and darker, and I saw myself in him. It was like watching myself change through different eyes.

It was for the best, but it didn't make it any better.

"How's Junior?" I asked, placing my hand on her bump. I hoped for a kick or a tiny hand; it had happened twice since we had abandoned the farm. I always struggled to keep a smile off my face whenever I saw Lori caressing her belly. Sometimes, Carl would lean over in the night and place his head against her stomach, grinning like a kid in a candy store. He'd grown up so fast, like the others, and it was always nice to see him act his age.

"She is very active lately." Lori laughed.

"She?" I raised my eyebrows. "you can't know."

Lori sighed, placing a hand over mine and putting it further to her left. I felt the baby's foot push against the skin lightly. It grossed me out sometimes, but it was still amazing. "I know it's a girl, I knew Carl would be a boy- ask Rick, he'll tell you."

"I'll make sure to bring it up when he and Daryl get back." I scanned the treeline for any sign of our resident hunter, and noticed Lori doing the same thing. There was a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. It was there more often that it wasn't. I felt bad for the woman, I really did. Since the events on the farm- the affair, the baby, Shane's death- Rick and Lori had been at odds with each other. Everything he was doing, he did for Lori, Carl and the baby, but he never showed it.

My gaze turned to the kids, who were sitting with Carol. I watched as Sophia pulled out her knife, wiping it clean. Her mother took it from her hands, and demonstrated the proper technique for cleaning it for the girl. Of everyone left alive, it was Carol and Sophia who had surprised me the most. Seeing Eliza crawl out of that barn had affected them both.

I sometimes thought about the boy. Louis. We had never went back and looked. It was like he had never been here. There was no closure, no burial for him. Chances were, the boy had crawled into a ditch and died, cold and hungry.

And Andrea. God, there were days I hated Andrea. But I still cared for the woman. It had been my biggest regret, following Rick's decision to not search for her.

And there were the others we had lost. Shane, Beth, Patricia, Jimmy. Dale's death had been seven months ago, but my heart was ripped out every time his name was mentioned. The old man had been closer to me than I'd ever imagined. He deserved to be here, they all did. Even Shane, as much as I disliked the bastard. One thing I hadn't done was hate him.

There was a whistle from the bushes. Everyone's heads jerked in that direction, knives out and ready.

Daryl broke through the bushel, staring at us all like we were crazy. "Ya'll ever hear a walker whistle?"

My eyes widened. Was he making a joke?

Rick followed him from the trees, smiling. It was such an unusual sight that even Lori stood up.

"What?" Hershel queried.

Daryl and Rick exchanged a glance. Rick turned to us, putting his gun away. "We've found somewhere."

~

In the eyes of starving survivors like us, the prison's guard towers, and fenced solitude was like a fairy-tale castle.

"I have never been happier to visit a prison." I said, staring up at its impenetrable walls in wonder. Christmas had come very late.

"You visit prisons a lot?" T-Dog asked me. I tossed him a lopsided grin. My twin had been a troublemaker, and he'd spent seven months inside for a minor drugs issue. It'd been fun to taunt him for getting his ass sent to jail until Mom had dragged me out by my ear for being a bitch. He'd come back out with a tattoo just below his left eye and an understanding of business. This time, I knew the only way we were leaving this prison was on a funeral pyre.

"Please tell me we're not stupid enough to take the whole prison today, right?" Glenn asked nervously. Rick ruffled Glenn's hair and assured him that it would not be that easy.

"We can take the yard today and focus on moving further in once we're settled." He decided.

"Well we'll need to close that gate first." Carol pointed at the fence that walled the prison from the yard. Or at least, was meant to. The gate had been left wide open, and walkers were buzzing in and out at record numbers. "they'll just keep coming otherwise."

"Alright." Rick pulled his gun from its holster and checked his bullet count. "I can make my way through. The rest of you will need to distract as many biters as possible, I'd rather not get killed doing this."

"I can help you." Sophia chimed in. Her dirty blonde hair had grown longer during the winter months, and it was tied back in a messy plait. She withdrew her own gun as if it proved her skill.

"Sophia, I think it's best if you stay here." Rick suggested. Lori added her agreement. Whilst others nodded along, I stayed still; Sophia was capable of making her own decisions and having someone watching Rick's back was better than waiting for him to go alone.

"I can keep an eye out for you. You can't watch all of them at once." Sophia's reason was sound and smart. I could almost see the cogs turning in his head as he went over his options. In the end, he lead the small blonde child to the gates and nodded for Daryl to open did so without hesitation.

The others and I spread out across the fences and distracted walkers by banging our weapons against the metal. A few began to wander over, and so their friends joined them.

Further to my left, a voice floated my way.

"He shouldn't be lettin' her help him- she's a child!" My eyes rolled on their own accord. Lori, of course. Dammit, we'd been over this so many times over the past few months, why was she doing this now?

"I don't mind, Lori. Sophia's a smart girl, she's more than capable." Carol's protest fell on deaf ears as Lori continued to talk about how kids shouldn't be put into the line of fire, end of. Christ, had the three youngest members of our group not proven this was wrong?

"Lori, I said I don't mind." Carolsnapped. "Sophia knows what to do. Rick won't let any harm come toher."

Lori went silent. I almost wished she had continued; the walkers had been drawn by her arguing. We picked them off quickly, yelling and banging on the metal of the fence. Some had noticed Rick and Sophia making their way through the yard. I gasped as one got a little too close to Rick, only for Daryl's crossbow bolt to take it out.

"You managin' kid?" I asked Josie. She plunged her knife through the forehead of a walker and grinned at me.

Her birthday had passed during the winter. I knew it because it was in December, and we were past that awful month. I had been planning to celebrate it with her at the farm before it was overrun. It had been stupid of me to plan that far ahead. But by the time it went she was ten.

She had grown in height, reaching the top of my chest now. Her dark auburn hair had been cut to her shoulders and tucked into a messy ponytail. The longer I looked, the more I saw my mother. Of all of her children, Josie and Lucas were the only ones who really resembled her. Lucas had once sported her auburn hair, until he bleached it.

I heard the gate clatter shut as Rick reached the prison. He secured it, pulling Sophia into the guard tower with him. From there, it was easy.

Ten minutes later, I was laughing with Maggie as Carol skipped across the yard, dancing around in circles like she was in 'The Sound of Music'.

Daryl descended from the guard tower, crossbow in hand. He joined the group in piling the bodies high, ready to burn. We would have freedom tonight, though it would smell of cooking flesh.

As the sun went down, Rick gathered everyone around a small fire that had been built up. I savoured the chance to eat slowly. Out on the road, we ate quickly, scared of what could stumble upon us at any given moment. It was nice to have peace.

When Rick handed Lori half of his portion, she attempted to refuse. I smiled as she finally relented, taking some of the food from him. They may be fighting, but I knew Rick cared for her and the baby. It was why we were here now.

"Alright, I'm gonna keep watch." Daryl announced. He stood, shouldering his crossbow and stalking across the yard. I hesitated. Should I follow him? We had been on guard duty together throughout the winter and it felt wrong to let him do it alone now.

"Hold up," I finally called, chasing after him. He didn't stop walking, but I watched as his footsteps slowed, allowing me to catch up.

We walked together in silence until we reached an overturned prison bus. Daryl grunted as he hoisted himself up on top of it. Wordlessly, without needing to be asking, he reached down and held out his hand. "C'mon then."

I took it. The rough skin of his palms was a familiar feeling. I gripped him tightly as I used all the muscle I had to pull myself up. As I stood to brush myself off, I forgot to let go.

Daryl, however, did not. He pulled his hand from mine with such force, I thought I might have hurt him. Confusion clouded his features.

"You okay?" I asked. He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed and blank. I knew what he was doing almost immediately.

"M'fine," He growled. "just ain't lookin' forward to sleeping in the grass."

"No one is," I pointed out. He shrugged. "are... are we okay?"

"What you mean?"

"I mean, are we okay?" I stepped closer to him. Daryl glanced back at the group nervously. I had known for a while now that he didn't want the others to know about us. I wasn't sure that was possible, given that Maggie and Glenn had caught us only centimetres apart when Randall went missing. These people weren't stupid, and Daryl knew that. "I mean, I kissed you, you kissed me, and we've kinda gotten close to it a few times during the past few months."

"I need time to think 'bout it." Daryl argued.

I groaned in frustration. "You've had seven months. I let it slide because we had more important priorities, but we're the safest we've been in a long time now."

He went quiet. I could almost hear the thoughts stirring around in his mind. I looked out beyond the fences, where some walkers had began making their way towards us. It was almost alien to see them press their faces against the fence, with the knowledge that they couldn't reach us. I knew safety shouldn't feel like a foreign concept, but it had been so long since I'd let my guard down. I wasn't even sure if my guard was down.

Daryl's voice pulled me back into the prison yard, from beyond the fences. "I ain't promisin' anything to ya."

"I don't want you to," I replied darkly. "promises tend to get broken now anyways."

He nodded his approval. "This," he gestured between the two of us. "I ain't sure about it yet, but I'm tryin' to be."

I didn't bother asking what he was unsure about. In Daryl's mind, I was a young woman, full of life and opportunities. He was a drifter peaking into his forties, not worth a damn to anyone. Maybe he was scared I'd find someone younger. Or maybe years with an asshole brother had taught him to be suspicious of any affection. I knew there was more behind it. His story about being lost in the woods as a child told me a lot about his family life.

Or rather, the apparent lack thereof.

I smiled despite this. He'd grown since we had left the farm. I'd watched as he became close with the others, become Rick's biggest confidant and Josie's role model. He'd even brought back extra squirrels we didn't need to keep Lori and the kids fed. I didn't worry about talking to him. Sometimes he even started the conversation.

"I like us," I finally responded. I reached out, wrapping my fingers gently around his. He tensed, but didn't pull back. "I don't really know what 'us' is, and I can't promise it'll be forever. But I like it."

I watched from the corner of my eye as a tiny smile broke out on Daryl's face. It wasn't an emotional grin, or even a full smile, but it was enough for me.


End file.
